Job-Related Stress among Business- and Professional-Writing Faculty Members

Abstract

During the 1980s, studies about stress in academia and business indicated that jobrelated stress is a serious problem. The purpose of this exploratory, correlational study was to examine the nature and extent of job-related stress among collegiate business-and professional-writing faculty members in the United States. The stress scale developed by the author was consistent with the framework on stress and burnout suggested by Pines and Aronson. Results indicate that job-related stress is associated with faculty members' rank, type of institution, and sex. Job-related stress tends to increase with greater expectations of publication and service, the total number of courses taught, and the number of writing courses taught. Job-related stress tends to decrease with increased maturity—age, years of teaching, years postdegree, and years teaching business and professional writing. Analysis of two open-ended questions indicates that paper grading is a significant stressor.

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